The hand that held my heart
by Red ninja777
Summary: Ari Cauthern, an ambitious 16 year old from district 10, finds herself treading on thin ice when she is reaped into the 63rd hunger games with her mortal enemy Jarg & finds herself faced with the truth to her mothers execution. With her emotions in turmoil over a surprising comradeship she is thrown into an arena that will test the limits of everything she ever has & will care for.


****Author's Note: Hey, just wanted to thank you for choosing to read my Hunger Games fanfic. I read all of the books and I loved them to death! If you haven't read them please do, because they are a complete masterpiece and I can only hope that my writing can even come close to Suzanne's work. :)

**Prologue:**

Adrift in a flowing plane of golden sod, my heart plummeted into an abyss of anguish and turmoil. With oxygen lacking in my lungs, I gasped, attempting to ensnare any that I could through the blood curdling in my throat. They say "May the odds be ever in your favor!" but their well wishes are just a pretense to mask their loathing for the lowly commoners of Panem. Casting aside our lives like filthy entrails from the carcass of a fresh kill, they regard us as meager pack animals; fit only for labor and the annual slaughter they call, "The Hunger Games."

Inspecting the silver knife protruding out of my abdomen, I observed the dark red hues of blood spilling into my hands and staining the turf before me. Like a river of thick wine it flowed in a long parade of liquid, defying not, its mistress gravity. To my knees I fell, realizing today would surely be my demise. _'Courageously I had fought and courageously I shall die.'_ Replaying the last twenty minutes in my mind, I concluded this to be my only fate.

On the threshold of a great plane, I knelt, cautiously scrutinizing any minute alteration to the serenity of the scape. To my left a hillock swept upward shrouded with fir, pine, and cedar trees towering over a multitude of poisonous shrubbery and brambles. To my right the trees were as a fortified castle, impenetrable to even the smallest of creatures. Nevertheless, ahead a small breach in the curtain of vegetation proved to be the focal point of my progression. For a good length of time, I knelt observing the fringe of this breach yet not even the flick of a wing exposed itself to my gaze. A quite peculiar affair, seeing how mere minutes earlier mocking jays flew from shrub to shrub, each filling it's gullet to his heart's content with various berries, seemingly immune to the vile fruits. In my gut, I knew this could only mean one thing, **danger!** However, foolishly I ignored my better judgment.

Holding fast to two long daggers cradled in my blistered palms, I re-positioned my grip around their leathery black hilts and prepared to hasten across the expanse. Rising to my feet, I drew in a broad breath and let the air escape my lungs, thus concluding my acts of preparation and then bounded forward. Fueled by fear and adrenaline, I ran with all the power within me, causing the knee tall grass to break beneath my feet and leave a prominent trail behind me, much to my dismay.

'_Faster, you have to go faster!' _A panicked voice from within my mind shouted, unrelenting in its urgency. I could see the tree line fifty yards away, but the appearance of it was most unsettling. For emerging out of the underbrush was a towering career with a lengthy knife stained red and dripping with blood. In his eyes, pain shoved down by an unholy animosity was evident. Torn half off, his shirt hung in shreds, dangling from his right shoulder and at his hip connected by feeble strands. The splaying of the flesh on his arms displayed bare bone in gruesome detail. Cascading in dark hues of crimson, his blood tumbled down from the incisions, in streams of hot sticky liquid to stain his fingers and drip to the turf. His muscles more predator like than human, rippled as they strained to control their overzealous blood lust. I could tell from his appearance that he was no new comer to murder. He had killed many of the other tributes; he was a serial killer. Many had fallen victim at the hands of this monster and that terrified me more than I can express. A torrent of fear washed over me, weighing heavily on my heart.

I came to a rather precarious halt and positioned myself to throw one of my precious daggers. The monstrosity of a boy ceased his forward progression, taking up his knife and running his right thumb across its edge; causing a dull "shing" to resonate from the tip. The homicidal smirk drawn on his face confirmed my suspicion that terror had registered on mine. Suddenly the desert like heat emanating from the sun crept its way into my throat and resided on my tongue, making way for cottonmouth to overtake my senses. I gulped trying to swallow but it was futile, for with my mouth forsaken by moisture, all I managed to choke down was a mouthful of air.

With muscles tightening I could feel them bind, calling upon every cell to reach its full potential. Sweat descended down my face in tiny droplets of sodium infused liquid. "It's now or never." I whispered. Giving a boisterous screech, I launched the dagger from my grasp; but upon seeing its course of action my heart became the epitome of distress. The air in my lungs escaped through the immeasurable breach that was now my mouth. **Gasp!** Oh, how a terrible fate has befallen me! Instead of driving itself into his chest, I watched as it cast itself deep into a willow tree beside him concealing the blade altogether. Trembling, I did my very best to compose myself; but what little composure I had gained siphoned through my fingertips as the career elevated his bloody weapon to his mouth and promptly proceeded to clean the blade with his tongue.

The putrid flavor of bile forced its way into my mouth, but I made it a priority not to express my disgust for this—this abhorrent creature that stood before me. Forcing myself to ingurgitate the burning liquid, all that I could ask myself was why the citizens of the Capitol could possibly find this of the least bit entertaining.

Searching for any escape that I may procure, I hastily began looking around, hoping for someone or something to take up the occupation of being my savior. As I have observed before, the outskirts of the plane to my left and to my right are impenetrable. Moreover, I dared not undertake such a venture as to turn and expose myself to an attack from behind, especially to someone as unforgiving as he. With one option left at my disposal, I solemnly took up my last object of defense and prepared give him a fight that he will not soon forget.

As if to say, "Bring it on." He contemptuously eyed my vigilant posture. With that conveyed through our minds, our battle began. As he ran towards me, his face wrinkled with the strain of transporting his enormous body at the rate of speed that he now pursued my stationary self. Lifting his knife aloft in the air he vigorously delivered it down upon my patient blade and with a long resounding "shink", his weapon had been deflected. With jaw set as to resemble a locked vice he brandished his knife with deft movements, it is likely that he did so attempting to bewilder me. To undertake such a vigorous task as to follow his blade as it swung violently through the ever-parching air, would have been a monumental task for someone trained in the art of swordsmanship. In a word, his show off effort completed its job with all the potent qualities that it was intended to. Blood poured out of the incisions on his arms and sprayed my face. Though I held the droplets in great disdain as they rolled off my chin, I couldn't help but think of how repulsing it is to have another's bodily fluids running down my cheek.

A good length of time passed but I had become entranced by his astonishing display, I was taken aback when suddenly ceasing this befuddling dance he administered a cleaving blow to my face. Abruptly the agonizing affliction of the splayed flesh ushered itself to the forefront of my attention. From the crest of my left temple to the undermost portion of my chin, my cleaved flesh stung and gushed with a waterfall of blood as my body urgently began trying to fill the gap with coagulating blood. The distortion of vision in my eye expressed to me that my attempt to blanket it with the protection of an eyelid fell fruitless in its quest. Having no time to dwell on this woeful experience, I turned to avenge my once descent appearance.

Bearing down upon his knife, I applied with great force my honed dagger. His face cringed with the strain of upholding my blade to let it not fall upon his head. With a booming, guttural bellow, he shoved my dagger away and leaped back to make ready for his next attack. Noticing the forsakenness of his left rib cage by any opposition that he may uphold, I administered a deep penetration to his side. Cringing, he reeled back in agony. The tug of a triumphant grin pulled on the corners of my lips, although triumph had not yet submitted itself into my arms.

His eyes made more brilliant with the shock of my surprising retaliation honed in on mine, as he grabbed the incision and pulled out a crimson hand. Lifting his knife aloft and cocking his head to send a parade of sickening cracking sounds throughout his neck, he laid siege on me and with a loud clang and resounding shing, he delivered a forceful shove, causing my footing to give way and flatten me on my back. As he came closer, he let escape his mouth a diabolical chuckle. Anticipating his next move, I rolled away from the area where gravity had taken hold on me, just in time for his long silver blade to pierce the turf where I had recently lane. Fumbling to my feat, I struggled to regain a hold around the grip of my weapon. I could almost hear the thunderous uproar of the Capitol as the events leading up to my destruction unfolded before their eyes. Shink! Clang! Shing! Back and forth, we fought each firmly holding out for victory. Then, in one fell swoop, my destruction was sealed. In a fit of rage, he thrust his knife, penetrating my abdomen. Not only was I kept from becoming victor of the games but also, I was kept from ever gazing into the brilliant silver and green eyes of my beloved family again.

The sound that now resonated from me was a quite unearthly sound, indeed proclaiming itself like the last wheezes of a dying toad. 'Who was I kidding? There was no way I could ever fight this guy and come out alive!' thought I, dropping to my knees as the golden shafts of sod climbed above my shoulders. As his tall, brooding figure stood over me, I sank evermore into the abyss of despair.

There I was. Dying alone in the arena; forced to be a plaything in the Capitol's toy chest. Manifesting in my mind, the thought that my baby brother and sister (the only family I had, minus my dead beet father who ran out on us) were going to be abandoned, alone without anyone to care for them - caused tears to well up within my eyes and begin their pitiful dissent down my face.

What could possibly become of them? Would they survive with the little knowledge I had taught them? Would anyone stumble upon their starving bodies and generously spare them a bit of a meal? Would Jade, oh, my poor young Jade, be required to work a man's job at the helpless age of ten? Would they die of starvation, just children? I imagined them stumbling about, forsaken to disease and starvation, their small bodies sickly with nothing to douse the eternal flames of hunger. This final thought was more than my ever-weakening heart could bear. Heat surged throughout my face as the agony that now resided in my heart dwarfed that of my impalement.

The wind whispered in my ears bearing with it the sound of distant fowls, letting raise their innate orchestra of chirps and melodious chortles. Amid the cooling arms of this breeze my ebony hair blew across my grubby, cleaved face, the warm sticky fingers of blood soaked hair left their grotesque prints upon the bare skin to the right of my face that until now, had remained untouched by crimson hues. My once crystal green eyes overshadowed with wisps of blinding haze hesitated to focus on the dismal world that surrounded me.

Curse the Hunger games. Curse the Capitol. Curse Panem for letting the Capitol exploit us for everything we own. Let it be so, that one brave soul step forth out of the ashes of Panem and force the Capitol to its knees, causing it all the pain, affliction, and horror that so many others have been forced to endure.

What seemed like many hours of agonizing time passed, and flashbacks of distant memories from when I was young, (from when I was happy - wrapped within my mother's dainty arms) came forth from forgotten archives in the recesses of my brain, to play and dance in my mind.

By now, I could see only shadows out of my one good, but failing eye. The knowledge that my death was imminent crept its way into my mind. The urgency that emanated from the boy caused my senses to fall into a tumultuous vat of emotion and feeling. Then the great vibrations from his feet hitting the turf made their way to my body, where I sat endeavoring to accomplish the lofty task of making heads or tails of it all. Pivoting round toward his general direction, I caught glimpse of what I supposed to be his massive figure, approaching a much smaller hole in the color of my vision. An ample appendage protruded away from his mas of colorless shape as he stooped to grasp the smaller black splotch, then up righting himself he again bounded toward my bewildered self.

Endeavoring to decipher what unearthly thing coursed throughout his conniving mind, I viciously began blinking my eyes to force the last tentacles of darkness to subside just long enough for me to uncover his (most-likely) horrid plan. Nearer and nearer he drew, and as he came to be about five feet away (by my inept estimations); his true intentions became revealed to me. The work he began was the work he would finish. In vain, had my undertaking been to scramble away from his shape; I knew it too. Within a fraction of a second, the blow of a sharp rock committed itself to my right temple. As I fell to the ground in a collected heap, the knife further lodged itself into my abdomen. The fashioned spikes upon its hand guard burrowed deep within my stomach and moments later, the burning of acidic juices was filling my body cavity.

The grasp of groping fingers quarried their way into my shoulder as he ripped my rag-doll like body over, to lay prone on my back.

Coagulating blood flooded my mouth, its texture much like that of the jelly served on the sour toast at the Training Center. The metallic flavor of the life giving liquid became the single flavor that my palate could conceive. Let's just say that I could never pass as a vampire. I hate the taste of blood. Angrily I spat towards his shape, hoping it would hit him. The guttural resonance of a growl resided my ears. I suppose I did hit him. "It serves him right for killing me." I thought.

I could feel the boy straddle my body, pinning me to the ground as I screeched in absolute agony and sobbed in terror. Then the warm, nasty smell of his vomit invoking breath wafted into my nose; accompanied by the horrible stench of blood. How long it had been since he had last brushed his teeth I'm not sure, but it reeked of many weeks without doing so.

"This," in a breathy manor he began. "This will finish you off." Crazed and unforgiving his voice was.

In he drew a long breath of air - as if sucking the very life out of me. He lifted himself up out of my face, holding his hands aloft in the air. His body tensed as I strained to loose myself from his vice like grip. My struggle was again; in vain of course, for much of my blood had been lost, thus I was rendered incapable to do anything. The tears that once streamed down my face slowed to just a little trickle as their pool of liquid ran dry.

Wham! The rigged blow of the rock on the side of my head sent me reeling. H-ah, h-ah, h-ah! He shouted as he released blow after painful blow and strike after painful strike until ceasing to exist, the hearing in both my ears fell void. I thrashed around, "Stop! Stop!" I pleaded. Meaning for it to project itself boisterously, but as it came out like loud wheezes I wasn't even given the right to plead for my life understandably.

Lying there swaddled in the graceful arms of flowing sod, blind, bloodied, deafened, stabbed, sliced, bruised, and without a shred of dignity, I mused upon my last glimpses of radiant sunshine and smelled my last sniffs of fresh air. I reflected on the last melodious song of the distant birds as though their orchestra was playing for me.

Then everything went black.

Author's Note: Pleas leave a comment, this is the first fanfic/story that I've ever wrote on so please ANY comments would be MUCH welcomed and appreciated! Thanks for reading and I will be uploading soon so please, stay tuned for more! :)


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